This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
After stopping for fuel in Quartzite, Arizona I began to merge onto HWY 10. As I accelerated the vehicle limited my speed to 45 MPH. This is on a 70 MPH section with heavy truck traffic. I was able to pull onto the shoulder and limp to the next exit without incident. I then drove around backroads for 10 minutes, starting and stopping the vehicle and accelerating to 55 MPH. After this period of time the vehicle operated normally. This happened with no warning at all, temperatures were all within normal ranges. Since the incident I have found that this "derating" is common to the diesel engine in hot ambient temperatures or while going up hill. My safety was definitely at risk, in a different scenario it could have been much worse. I have spoked with several factory service centers and Jeep directly, they say they have never heard of the issue and don't have any advice.
3.0 EcoDiesel in the Jeep Gladiator has cooling issues. Thousands of users affected and discussing on forums and on Facebook groups but the manufacturer is unwilling to fix. Core of the issue is that the engine was altered in the Gladiator and Wrangler over previous installations in the Ram and Grand Cherokee by removing oil coolers and a larger oil pan, which has resulted in high oil temps. At 265 degrees (which is accomplished easily during the summer with a trailer UNDER the tow rating), the engine starts derating and limp mode. The aftermarket community has tested everything... removing hoods, fenders different cooling solutions, etc and nothing is working at the moment other than aftermarket solutions to cool the oil (which are negligible at best at the moment due to the space constraints imposed by the engine being quite large in the engine bay not not substantial room for a larger oil pan and external cooler). Chrysler should have put more work in to the design, or not sold the EcoDiesel in the vehicle.
While towing a trailer the vehicle suddenly reduces power to less than half and multiple check engine lights appear. This seems to happen only when outside temperatures are above 80f. I went from going 65mph to 45mph within 1/4 mile which caused sudden traffic issues behind me. I have had the vehicle to the dealer multiple times and they do not find anything even though there are multiple engine lights. I have had it happen a over 8 times in 1 year. I also have a co-worker that has had the same issue.
When operating the vehicle under heavier loads (5%+ grades, towing even light trailers, higher highway speeds) vehicle loses power limiting speed to 15-50mph depending on how hot the water or oil temperature is. I have had this issue in ambient temperatures as low as 31?F while towing 4000lb up a steep incline, but will absolutely overheat if ambient temp is over 100?F. Vehicle must be left running during a fuel stop or heat soak caused by the vehicle is not running will prevent me from merging back on the highway at a safe speed....max speed is 50mph until the engine oil cools off. Air conditioner use as expected makes the problem worse. There are many threads going on the Jeep internet forums with many diesel equipped Jeep Wranglers and Gladiators having the same issues, so I know these aren't isolated incidents from my vehicle alone. If you were to search "Ecodiesel power derating as temps rise" on Google, you would see some discussion. Engine fan runs at full speed, coolant is full, and radiator/grill is clean/free of debris. I have owned this vehicle since new and have operated in many types of conditions/loads over the past 14 months 23,000 miles from 9?-126?F. The first time I had the issue was late May of 2021 (At approx 5,000 miles) and it has happened no less than 20 times since then. The only visual alarm is when coolant temp reaches 248? and the vehicle speed drops to 10mph. The gauge does not read linear........Meaning the vehicle is almost already overheated by the gauge shows the temp is rising. I can only assume the is intentionally programmed into the code by the vehicle manufacturer to make the operator feel like the high temps are normal. I have not had the vehicle inspected by the local dealer because in the past they were never able to duplicate the conditions in my opinion due to laziness or incompetence. I own an auto repair shop and know the problem to be an undersized cooling system which Chrysler does not have an approved fix for.
- Redding, CA, USA
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The vehicle auto starts when the AC is turned on with the Auto HAVC set to off. The owner-??s manual states that -??the engine will start automatically when-?? the -??Actual cabin temperature is significantly different than temperature set on Auto HVAC.-?? The vehicle is operating in direct conflict with owner-??s manual. This auto start issue poses a serious safety hazard as the vehicle will unexpectedly start and may begin to roll when the driver is not ready. Additionally, if someone is operating on or under the vehicle, it will result in a serious injury or the loss of a finger when the vehicle auto starts in violation of the driver-??s intent. The unexpected / wanted start could cause a collision with another vehicle or pedestrian leading to serious injury or death. The malfunction was reproduced and confirmed by multiple service personnel, who expressed safety concerns. The malfunction was also recreated by 4 independent mechanic shops and documented as a safety concern. However, an FCA Technical Advisor (TA) claimed that the vehicle is -??operating as designed-??. This portion of the vehicle-??s Auto Start / Stop System is NOT operating as designed and documented in the owner-??s manual. I feel unsafe driving the vehicle, as this is one of numerous hardware / software malfunctions plaguing the vehicle. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request.
The vehicle auto starts when the fan is turned on without the AC. The owner-??s manual does not list this as one of the -??Conditions that will cause the engine to start automatically-??. The vehicle is operating in direct conflict with owner-??s manual. This auto start issue poses a serious safety hazard as the vehicle will unexpectedly start and may begin to roll when the driver is not ready. Additionally, if someone is operating on or under the vehicle, it will result in a serious injury or the loss of a finger when the vehicle auto starts in violation of the driver-??s intent. The unexpected / wanted start could cause a collision with another vehicle or pedestrian leading to serious injury or death. The malfunction was reproduced and confirmed by multiple service personnel, who expressed safety concerns. The malfunction was also recreated by 4 independent mechanic shops and documented as a safety concern. However, an FCA Technical Advisor (TA) claimed that the vehicle is -??operating as designed-??. This portion of the vehicle-??s Auto Start / Stop System is NOT operating as designed and documented in the owner-??s manual. I feel unsafe driving the vehicle, as this is one of numerous hardware / software malfunctions plaguing the vehicle. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request.
The vehicle auto starts when the defrost is turned on below the max or full setting. The owner-??s manual specifies that -??the engine will start automatically when-?? the -??HVAC is set to full defrost mode-??. The vehicle is operating in direct conflict with owner-??s manual. This auto start issue poses a serious safety hazard as the vehicle will unexpectedly start and may begin to roll when the driver is not ready. Additionally, if someone is operating on or under the vehicle, it will result in a serious injury or the loss of a finger when the vehicle auto starts in violation of the driver-??s intent. The unexpected / wanted start could cause a collision with another vehicle or pedestrian leading to serious injury or death. The malfunction was reproduced and confirmed by multiple service personnel, who expressed safety concerns. The malfunction was also recreated by 4 independent mechanic shops and documented as a safety concern. However, an FCA Technical Advisor (TA) claimed that the vehicle is -??operating as designed-??. This portion of the vehicle-??s Auto Start / Stop System is NOT operating as designed and documented in the owner-??s manual. I feel unsafe driving the vehicle, as this is one of numerous hardware / software malfunctions plaguing the vehicle. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request.
The vehicle auto starts when the brake pedal is pressed. The owner-??s manual does not list this as one of the -??Conditions that will cause the engine to start automatically-??. The vehicle is operating in direct conflict with owner-??s manual. This auto start issue poses a serious safety hazard as the vehicle will unexpectedly start and begin to roll when the driver is not ready. Additionally, if someone is operating on or under the vehicle, it will result in a serious injury or the loss of a finger when the vehicle auto starts in violation of the driver-??s intent. The unexpected / wanted start could cause a collision with another vehicle or pedestrian leading to serious injury or death. The malfunction was reproduced and confirmed by multiple service personnel at 2 Jeep dealerships, who expressed safety concerns. The malfunction was also recreated by 4 independent mechanic shops and documented as a safety concern. However, an FCA Technical Advisor (TA) claimed that the vehicle is -??operating as designed-??. This portion of the vehicle-??s Auto Start / Stop System is NOT operating as designed and documented in the owner-??s manual. I feel unsafe driving the vehicle, as this is one of numerous hardware / software malfunctions plaguing the vehicle. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request.
The vehicle auto starts when opening the driver-??s door. This is not listed under -??Conditions that will cause the engine to start automatically while in STOP/START AUTO STOP ACTIVE mode-?? in the owner-??s manual. Other Jeep models do not auto start upon opening the driver-??s door. This auto start issue poses a serious safety hazard as the vehicle will unexpectedly start and begin to roll when the driver-??s door is open and the driver is not properly secure in the driver seat. The unexpected / wanted start could cause a collision with another vehicle or pedestrian leading to serious injury or death. The malfunction was reproduced and confirmed by multiple service personnel at 2 Jeep dealerships, who expressed safety concerns. The malfunction was also recreated by 4 independent mechanic shops and documented as a safety concern. However, an FCA Technical Advisor (TA) claimed that the vehicle is -??operating as designed-??. This portion of the vehicle-??s Auto Start / Stop System is NOT operating as designed and documented in the owner-??s manual. I feel unsafe driving the vehicle, as this is one of numerous hardware / software malfunctions plaguing the vehicle. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request.
The vehicle auto stops when the defrost is turned off, in direct conflict with owner-??s manual. The owner-??s manual specifies that -??HVAC is set to full defrost mode-?? will prevent an auto stop, but preventing the auto stop is the opposite of initiating the event. Additionally, this issue occurs when the HVAC is operating at less than full defrost mode. Furthermore, the instrument cluster never presents a -??STOP/START READY-?? message which is the first necessary condition for an auto stop. This issue creates a serious safety hazard, as the vehicle presents incorrect information to the driver and the vehicle unexpectedly stops in traffic which confuses and distracts the driver. The unexpected / wanted stop in heavy traffic could cause a rear-end collision leading to serious injury or death. The malfunction was reproduced and confirmed by multiple service personnel, who expressed safety concerns. The malfunction was also recreated by 4 independent mechanic shops and documented as a safety concern. However, an FCA Technical Advisor (TA) claimed that the vehicle is -??operating as designed-??. This portion of the vehicle-??s Auto Start / Stop System is NOT operating as designed and documented in the owner-??s manual. I feel unsafe driving the vehicle, as this is one of numerous hardware / software malfunctions plaguing the vehicle. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request.
The vehicle auto stops when the steering wheel is turned, in direct conflict with owner-??s manual. The owner-??s manual specifies that -??Steering angle beyond threshold-?? will prevent an auto stop, but preventing the auto stop is the opposite of initiating the event. Furthermore, the instrument cluster never presents a -??STOP/START READY-?? message which is the first necessary condition for an auto stop. This issue creates a serious safety hazard, as the vehicle presents incorrect information to the driver and the vehicle unexpectedly stops in traffic which confuses and distracts the driver. The unexpected / wanted stop in heavy traffic could cause a rear-end collision leading to serious injury or death. The malfunction was reproduced and confirmed by multiple service personnel, who expressed safety concerns. The malfunction was also recreated by 4 independent mechanic shops and documented as a safety concern. However, an FCA Technical Advisor (TA) claimed that the vehicle is -??operating as designed-??. This portion of the vehicle-??s Auto Start / Stop System is NOT operating as designed and documented in the owner-??s manual. I feel unsafe driving the vehicle, as this is one of numerous hardware / software malfunctions plaguing the vehicle. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request.
The failure of the vehicle-??s safety condition check for an empty driver-??s seat for an auto stop indicates that the -??Occupant Restraint Controller (ORC)-?? and/or the -??Advanced Front Air Bag system-?? are not receiving proper information. This creates a serious safety hazard as the front air bags may not deploy or may not -??adjust the inflation rate of the Advanced Front Air Bags-?? as specified in the owner-??s manual. For driver safety, these systems and their associated sensors should be fully examined and tested. The vehicle auto stops when the driver-??s seat is not occupied, in direct conflict with owner-??s manual. The owner-??s manual specifically states that if the -??Driver-??s seat is not occupied-?? that the -??engine will not stop.-?? Note that this system safety check is separate and distinct from the -??Driver-??s seat belt is not buckled-?? check. The vehicle fails to properly check for the empty driver-??s seat safety condition before initiating an auto stop. The associated auto stop malfunction was reproduced and confirmed by multiple service personnel at 2 Jeep dealerships, who expressed safety concerns. The malfunction was also recreated by 4 independent mechanic shops and documented as a safety concern. However, an FCA Technical Advisor (TA) claimed that the vehicle is -??operating as designed-??, despite the vehicle operating in violation of the owner-??s manual. I feel unsafe driving the vehicle, as this is one of numerous hardware / software malfunctions plaguing the vehicle. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request.
The vehicle auto stops when the driver-??s seat is not occupied, in direct conflict with owner-??s manual. The owner-??s manual specifically states that if the -??Driver-??s seat is not occupied-?? that the -??engine will not stop.-?? Note that this system safety check is separate and distinct from the -??Driver-??s seat belt is not buckled-?? check. Furthermore, the instrument cluster never presents a -??STOP/START READY-?? message which is the first necessary condition for an auto stop. The vehicle fails to properly check for the empty driver-??s seat safety condition before auto stop. This auto stop violates Jeep-??s published safety check condition and poses a serious safety hazard. This issue poses additionally serious safety hazards as the vehicle will shut off with the driver outside the vehicle, leaving the driver with an incorrect understanding that the vehicle is properly locked out from an auto start condition. Therefore, if the driver is operating on or under the vehicle with it auto stopped, the passenger can unintendedly auto start the vehicle resulting in a serious injury or the loss of a finger. Additionally, in thinking that the vehicle is off the driver may leave the vehicle unattended in their garage and after 5 minutes the vehicle will auto start filling the garage / house with toxic fumes and presenting a serious life-threatening fire hazard. The malfunction was reproduced and confirmed by multiple service personnel, who expressed safety concerns. The malfunction was also recreated by 4 independent mechanic shops and documented as a safety concern. However, an FCA Technical Advisor (TA) claimed that the vehicle is -??operating as designed-??. This portion of the vehicle-??s Auto Start / Stop System is NOT operating as designed and documented in the owner-??s manual. I feel unsafe driving the vehicle, as this is one of numerous hardware / software malfunctions plaguing the vehicle. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request.
The vehicle auto stops when the hood is closed and the driver remains in the seat with the seat belt buckled. The owner-??s manual specifies that an open hood will prevent an auto stop, but preventing the auto stop is the opposite of closing the hood initiating the event. Furthermore, the instrument cluster never presents a -??STOP/START READY-?? message which is the first necessary condition for an auto stop. This issue creates a serious safety hazard, as the vehicle presents incorrect information to the driver and the vehicle unexpectedly stops which confuses and distracts the driver. Additionally, after jump starting another vehicle, the vehicle-??s battery may be sufficiently depleted. Upon closing the hood, the vehicle could auto stop, and with the numerous other malfunctions impacting the auto stop system the vehicle may not be able to restart possibly leaving the driver stranded. The unexpected / wanted auto stop could cause a rear-end collision of the stranded vehicle leading to serious injury or death. The malfunction was reproduced and confirmed by multiple service personnel, who expressed safety concerns. The malfunction was also recreated by 4 independent mechanic shops and documented as a safety concern. However, an FCA Technical Advisor (TA) claimed that the vehicle is -??operating as designed-??. This portion of the vehicle-??s Auto Start / Stop System is NOT operating as designed and documented in the owner-??s manual. I feel unsafe driving the vehicle, as this is one of numerous hardware / software malfunctions plaguing the vehicle. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request.
The vehicle auto stops when turning down or turning off the climate controls, in direct conflict with owner-??s manual. This condition is not listed as one of the three conditions to activate an auto stop in the owner-??s manual. This condition is also not listed as one of the conditions that will inhibit the vehicle from an auto stop in the owner-??s manual. Furthermore, the instrument cluster never presents a -??STOP/START READY-?? message which is the first necessary condition for an auto stop. This issue creates a serious safety hazard, as the vehicle presents incorrect information to the driver and the vehicle unexpectedly stops in traffic which confuses and distracts the driver. The unexpected / wanted stop in heavy traffic could cause a rear-end collision leading to serious injury or death. The malfunction was reproduced and confirmed by multiple service personnel at 2 different dealerships, who expressed safety concerns. The malfunction was also recreated by 4 independent mechanic shops and documented as a safety concern. However, an FCA Technical Advisor (TA) claimed that the vehicle is -??operating as designed-??. This portion of the vehicle-??s Auto Start / Stop System is NOT operating as designed and documented in the owner-??s manual. I feel unsafe driving the vehicle, as this is one of numerous hardware / software malfunctions plaguing the vehicle. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request.
The vehicle auto stops when putting on the driver-??s seat belt, in direct conflict with owner-??s manual. The owner-??s manual specifies that if the -??Driver-??s seat belt is not buckled-?? it will prevent an auto stop, but preventing the auto stop is the opposite of the act of buckling the seat belt initiating the auto stop. Furthermore, the instrument cluster does not present a -??STOP/START READY-?? message which is the first necessary condition for an auto stop. This issue creates a serious safety hazard, as the vehicle presents factually incorrect information to the driver and the vehicle unexpectedly stops creating driver confusion and distraction. Additionally, this creates a serious safety hazard as the issue inhibits the driver from attempting to flee an emergency situation, wherein the driver hops into an idling vehicle, plugs in their seat belt, and the vehicle turns itself off. The malfunction was reproduced and confirmed by multiple service personnel at 2 different dealerships, who expressed safety concerns. The malfunction was also recreated by 4 independent mechanic shops and documented as a safety concern. However, an FCA Technical Advisor (TA) claimed that the vehicle is -??operating as designed-??. This portion of the vehicle-??s Auto Start / Stop System is NOT operating as designed and documented in the owner-??s manual. I feel unsafe driving the vehicle, as this is one of numerous hardware / software malfunctions plaguing the vehicle. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request.
The vehicle-??s Auto Start / Stop System activates and shuts off the vehicle while the instrument cluster reads -??STOP/START NOT READY-??, in direct conflict with owner-??s manual. Per the owner-??s manual, the first condition for an Auto Stop with a manual transmission is that the instrument cluster must read -??READY-??. Other Jeep vehicles, clearly show -??READY-?? on the instrument cluster before shutting off. However, the Jeep Gladiator presents a false / incorrect -??NOT READY-?? notification to the driver on the instrument cluster before shutting off. This anomaly with the Auto Stop / Start System distracts the driver and creates confusion impeding normal driving operations such as stopping at traffic lights / signs, pedestrian areas, and parking lots. This poses a serious safety hazard as the vehicle will unexpectedly shut off when the driver is not prepared and presented with an incorrect notification warning. In heavy traffic, this could lead to a stalled vehicle and a rear-end collision. The -??NOT READY-?? malfunction was reproduced and confirmed by multiple service personnel at 2 different dealership, who expressed safety concerns. The -??NOT READY-?? malfunction was also recreated by 4 independent mechanic shops and documented as a safety concern. However, an FCA Technical Advisor (TA) claimed that the vehicle was -??operating as designed-??. The vehicle is NOT operating as designed, as the Jeep design engineers would likely not design a vehicle that presents blatantly incorrect information to the driver. If this display screen on the instrument provides false information to the driver, other displays may also provide false readings to the driver. I feel unsafe driving the vehicle. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request.
The vehicle-??s throttle surges sporadically when shifting gears without driver input to the accelerator / controls. The issue impacts the driver-??s ability to operate the vehicle safely in heavy traffic or dynamic situations. The throttle surges while shifting introduce delays to driver reaction times, and they create a safety hazard in heavy traffic where fractions of a second can make the difference in a major accident. The throttle surge while shifting malfunction was reproduced and confirmed by multiple service personnel at the local dealership. However, the Service Director falsified and backdated the service records to claim that they -??couldn-??t duplicate concern-?? and that the -??vehicle is driving normal.-?? The throttle surge while shifting was recreated by 4 independent mechanic shops and documented as a safety concern. An FCA Technical Advisor (TA) claimed that the vehicle was -??operating as designed-?? both when he could not recreate the issue and when he could recreate the issue. Both of these statements cannot be correct and factual as they directly contradict each other. Additionally, the FCA TA claimed that the vehicle is equipped with Rev Matching; however, the vehicle-??s owner-??s manual and available technical documentation do not mention Rev Matching. And, the issue occurs while braking when a vehicle would not intend to Rev Match. The randomness of this throttle surge issue also causes the driver to briefly take their eyes off the road between every shift to check the tachometer for the throttle surge malfunction. Distractions like this which divert the driver-??s attention during what should be routine driving tasks, creating a safety hazard. To account for the unexpected throttle spike, the driver must deviate from a normal driving routine by taking extra steps and inducing significant delays in response times. I feel unsafe driving the vehicle. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request.
The vehicle-??s throttle bounces and surges off idle, in direct opposition to the driver-??s inputs to the controls. After the driver lifts off the accelerator and engages the clutch, the RPMs drop slowly to idle, then the throttle regularly bounces and surges without user input to the controls by ~500 to ~1,500 RPMs. The issue occurs while driving in every gear and or in neutral. The issue occurs frequently but not every time. The issue occurs with or without the driver-??s foot on the brake. The failure to maintain idle malfunction was reproduced and confirmed by multiple service personnel at the local dealership. However, the Service Director falsified and backdated the service records to claim that they -??couldn-??t duplicate concern-?? and that the -??vehicle is driving normal.-?? The throttle spike off idle was recreated by 4 independent mechanic shops and documented as a safety concern. An FCA TA claimed that the vehicle was -??operating as designed-?? both when he could not recreate the issue and when he could recreate the issue. Both of these statements cannot be correct and factual as they directly contradict each other. The throttle bounce and spike off idle substantially impairs the vehicle-??s use as it impacts normal driving operations such as shifting, accelerating, and braking. The throttle bounce off idle creates as serious safety hazard as it causes the driver to delay or miss shifts in heavy traffic and divert attention from the road to the instrument cluster. The issue also creates a serious safety hazard as it induces driver confusion by making them think they accidentally pressed the accelerator while shifting. The claims of -??operating as designed-?? indicates that the Jeep Gladiator Engineering Design Team designed a vehicle to spike the throttle without driver inputs to the controls. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Chatsworth, CA, USA